James Trombley makes his living inspecting trucks. If you run Highway 2 between Calgary and Red Deer, you're likely to meet him. When you do, you're likely to be surprised by the man you meet behind the badge.
When I arranged this interview, I expected a lot of talk about highway safety and the things truckers do wrong. When I was done, it was apparent that he truly believes in keeping motorists safe on the road. He visualizes his wife and daughters on a roadway confronted with a potential safety hazard. He has the power to prevent that from happening.
To Trombley, everyone on the road is family, and he wants to ensure they all stay safe. Trombley, 37, lives in Olds, Alta. - slightly north of Calgary - with his wife Gina and their two young daughters. He attended school in Lethbridge to become a Wildlife Officer and patrolled provincial parks for several years. It was good satisfying work, but it wasn't full-time. He wanted to stay in law enforcement, but wasn't keen on becoming a police officer because that sometimes requires attending violent domestic disputes - something he didn't want to be involved with. In 1997, he heard about an opening as a Transport Officer and he decided to sign on.
Understanding truckers came naturally to Trombley. His uncle drove, and told many tales of what it is like to be on the road. He knew going into his new job that trucking wasn't easy. And since Olds a is small farming community, he knows lots of truckers too.
Out of uniform, he's a down-to-earth fellow who plays in a local hockey league. He laughs when admitting to pulling team-mates over and citing them for driving infractions. His friends realize where that line is, and the bad feelings relating to his work stay out of his personal life.
Working the Beat
His workplace is Highway 2. He watches traffic while on patrol, watching for seat belt infractions, cargo securement and lighting compliance. He makes lots of random stops, not because anything is wrong, but to check paperwork and get a closer look at the truck. Some drivers, Trombley notes, don't take kindly to these random checks. Some even believe they are being harassed.
"Ninety-five percent of the drivers are great, it's the other five percent that make life difficult. Just walking up to the driver's window, I can usually tell which group they belong to."
When he started this job, he didn't expect drivers to be so friendly. He was expecting more conflict. More often than not, he says, drivers know when they're pushing the limits and admit defeat when caught.
He recalls a recent experience with a load of hay bales. While driving in the opposite direction, he had noticed that none of the bales were tied down. He turned to pursue the truck, and moments later, they started falling off the truck. Hay was flying everywhere, and drivers were heading for the ditches, but the hay truck driver was oblivious to what had happened.
"He told me he was only going a few kilometers down the road and didn't think he needed to strap them down," Trombley says.
Trombley's biggest peeve is lazy drivers or drivers who just don't care. He's seen horrible accidents caused by laziness and wishes he could relay the importance of safety procedures to every commercial driver.
"I don't want to be one of those officers that hands out a citation without the driver truly understanding why they are receiving it," he says. "Some inspectors fall short on helping drivers out to prevent the same mistake in the future."
He is more than willing to go into a company to talk about safe operating practices. In fact, he jokes about hoping for an invitation to do safety presentations - especially on those minus-40 Alberta winter days instead of being out patrolling the highways. Who could blame him for that?
If you ever get a citation for anything on the road, I hope it's from a guy who truly cares about safety - like Trombley. When law enforcement and truckers work together, both sides win. Law enforcement is satisfied with safe vehicles and driver's wallets aren't emptied out paying unnecessary fines. More importantly, everyone goes home safely to their families at the end of the day.
North America's Top Truck Inspector
Top Truck Cop is a hard-earned title. First, Trombley had to win the provincial championships - a 150-question test followed by a practical exam for the top-10 test scores. With the provincial title in his back pocket, it was off to Minneapolis representing Alberta and Canada.
Trombley faced off against the best inspectors in North America, competing in seven timed categories, along with written exams and interviews. Trucks were rigged with various defects; competitors had to determine which problems were "out-of-service" violations.
Trombley's wife, Gina, gave him the push and encouragement he needed to try the provincial competition this year, and his knowledge and attention to detail did the rest. He says he was nervous going to Minneapolis because he knew the caliber of the competitors, and no one was more surprised than he was at being crowned Grand Champion for North America.
Top Truck Cop is a hard-earned title. First, Trombley had to win the provincial championships - a 150-question test followed by a practical exam for the top-10 test scores. With the provincial title in his back pocket, it was off to Minneapolis representing Alberta and Canada. 
